


Scuff

by HeatherGiesbrecht



Category: Kong: Skull Island (2017), The Night Manager (TV)
Genre: Bedtime Stories, Canon Gay Relationship, Complete, Cross-Generational Friendship, Crossover, Deserts, Fist Fights, Forests, Gen, Grandparents & Grandchildren, Horses & Horseback Riding, Hotels, M/M, Post-Kong: Skull Island, Snakes, Talking, The Night Manager (TV) - Freeform, Time Skips, Trackers & Tracking, Unrequited Lust, Wakes & Funerals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-05-19 13:35:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14874722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeatherGiesbrecht/pseuds/HeatherGiesbrecht
Summary: Jonathan scuffed a foot through the leaves. He'd thought he'd hid his tracks well enough. Not from Granddad.





	1. Scuff

**Author's Note:**

> My headcanon is that Corkoran served with both Pine's dad and Pine himself. Basically everyone else is connected to Pine in someway so why not Corky, too ?

1988

 

"Now, Jonathan, did you want me to re-read Little Red Riding Hood or tell something else ?

Jonathan loved the Grimm's fairy tales but Granddad always told them better. Granddad also had his and Grandmum's own awesome stories to tell. "Will you tell me the story about how you and Grandmum met, about Kong ? I love that one." The walls of the spare room were covered in glowing animal stickers to prove it.

"Not scared of cooties at 7, huh ? Smart lad, that's a bunch of rubbish." Granddad glanced over his shoulder. "What does Ms. Weaver think ? Should I re-tell that old tale ?"

His mouth dropped as Grandmum appeared in the door way. What ? He hadn't heard anything at all. That proved it, while he'd never be quite as good a tracker as Granddad, no one could beat Granddad, he still wanted to be one.

Grandmum laughed and snapped a picture. "She thinks you love that story just as much Jonathan does, Mr. Conrad. So, go on, tell it again."

Sure, Grandmum wasn't his biological Grandmum but she might as well've been. Anna hadn't cared about Dad since he'd decided to reconnect with Granddad and go into the army, too. Anna had also hardly talked to him a few weeks ago when Mum'd taken them for coffee in London.

"It all started for me after a very good game of pool in Saigon. Given that, some of the locals thought I was trying to cheat them and attacked me."

"And you totally kicked their arses instead ! I bet they didn't expect that."

"Hey, what did I tell you about swearing ?"

He couldn't stand the disapproval and lowered his eyes. Fiddled with the blanket to avoid Granddad's pale blue gaze. "It's not right unless somebody really deserves it, and hardly then, even. I'm sorry."

"Good. I totally kicked their butts and, no, they really didn't."

Maybe they could go horseback riding tomorrow morning ? They always went riding during Summer Break.

\----

Jonathan hid behind an ancient oak tree, wind rustled its branches. Hjalma, the dark brown filly Granddad and Grandmum'd rented for him, browsed the nearby stream's edge.

"Found you."

"Yah." He startled and turned to find Granddad grinning down at him. Half-annoyed, he glared at and scuffed the leaves. "I thought I'd finally hid my tracks well enough."

A calloused hand lifted his chin, Granddad's eyes were more serious than normal. "Well if hadn't been for the pebbles that were scattered by your boots, you would've had me. Not even your mum was that good at your age. Hey, look, a deer track."

"Deer ? Deer where ?"

"You're standing in them, my dear Grandson."

"You're gonna grow cobs if you keep being corny, Granddad."

"Either way, we'll never be pining for jokes."

He tried to keep a straight face but the laughter spilled out anyway.

* * *

  
1998

Sunlight gleamed cheerily off the little chapel's walls and Jonathan hated it. It wasn't supposed to be sunny at funerals. Dad was gone. Dad was gone and unlike Great-Granddad there was no chance of him being found safe, if with some memories missing. You didn't get to come back if you got blown into pieces by an explosive. Granddad had cried just barely, after the burial. He'd never seen Granddad cry before. That'd almost been more upsetting than when they'd gotten the news.

A grey pebble lay atop the beige cobble-stoned path. Angrily, he kicked it and the pebble clattered toward the chapel's back-end. Oddly the sound of a scuffle also came from the chapel. He'd never known quite when to let things go, so he crept toward the wall and peered around.

"I didn't mean for it to happen, honestly. He wasn't supposed to be standing there, he switched places with Harris at the last minute. It's my fault."

"You're God damned right it is." Granddad growled while standing over one of Dad's former squad mates, a black haired man with a newly split lip. "You come near my family again, Sergeant Corkoran, and I find out you'll wish I had killed you. Is that clear ?"

"As crystal, sir. Should I tell my dad you said hello when I visit next ?"

"Arthur deserves a better son than you."

"Oh, I know. He says that all the time. Ha, at least, I deserve his disdain now. God, I need a drink."

Granddad didn't seem to see him as he stalked past. It was the first time he'd really noticed the grey in Granddad's hair and the subtly deepening wrinkles. Death'd been biding its time with Granddad since that helicopter crash in Vietnam. All he could do was hope it'd keep off for a good while longer.


	2. Viper

2008

Pine finally, truly understood Grandmum's complaints about dried sweat being itchy. At least in the jungles of Skull Island he would've been able to stop and adjust his pack, that wasn't really possible since he was scouting in the near dark of the Iraqi desert. The tank rumbled reassuringly behind him as he surveyed the dunes ahead. His fingers itched for his water but they were so close to base it almost didn't matter. Which didn't mean they were clear of danger. Caliburn's original squad'd been ambushed not far from here. Thankfully they got through the gates without seeing the enemy or encountering any IEDs.

It was sweet relief to head into the showers after debriefing. He found Caliburn stood staring into one of the stalls. Fear was plain to see on the brown haired man's face. "What're you looking at, Caliburn ?"

"Snake."

Carefully, he put down his clothes and approached the stall. A snake with beige body scales, black stripes, a dark face and horns was curled up in the middle. "Okay. I'm 99% sure that's a Persian. If it is they're nerotoxic so whatever you do don't touch it. Mainly because I'm not going to go to your funeral, you half-Aussie twat."

"As if I'd want you there, you full English cunt."

"That's fine, now am I poling the thing out or not ?"

"Sure, just mind the Major."

"Mind me what, boys ?" The short, black haired man asked as he stepped in.

"Snake in there, Major Corkoran. Viper by the look of it."

"Well don't let me get in the way, Captain, get it out. Quickly now, lives could be at stake."

God, that traitorous arse-hole was worse than the snake. Just because of the man he couldn't wait to go home. He'd escape the Major's innuendos and get to see Granddad and Grandmum again.

* * *

Late December, 2010

"Welcome to the Nefertiti. How can I help the lovely couple this evening ?" Pine repressed the urge to laugh and smile. This was business, not pleasure.

"I think we've got a suite booked under the name of Weaver for two weeks. Right, Mason ? Your grandmum insisted on paying for it." Granddad grinned. "It's all because of that Pulitzer, gone to her head."

Grandmum shook her head in good natured exasperation. "We should, yes, and, no, it hasn't. Your coworker Mr. Foley helped me, Jonathan."

"Give me one moment." He checked it over then glanced up. "Everything's in order, Grandmum. Card, please." Grandmum's hair was still a bit brown but Granddad's had finally gone full white. Damn, he was going to miss them when they died. The only good thing would be them getting to see Dad again.

Grandmum handed over her card. Had one of Mr. Freddie Hamid's agents not stepped up and impatiently cleared his throat he would've personally escorted them to the Celopatra Suite. Instead, he had to send them on with Barsi the Bellhop. At least they were in safe hands. If it'd meant not having to deal with a Hamid agent ever again or, God forbid, one of the actual Hamids he would've given almost anything.

* * *

2015

Waves lapped gently against the shore and a seagull cried while a cloud drifted across the sun.

Darkened skies failed to lower Pine's mood even as Danny scuffed the wet sand in frustration. "You know, Danny, it's best if we don't get crabby over not finding any crabs."

Danny laughed. "You were waiting for that, weren't you, Thomas ?"

"I might've been, yeah. Hey, look. There's a snake furrow." Huh. Now he wished he would've called Granddad and Grandmum before returning Danny's phone. Checked on Grandmum's pnumonia. Too late for that now. At least all Danny's running around on the beach lately had given him the perfect reason to 'find' it. Still felt bad about taking it though. Real petty theivery, that. Great-Granddad and Dad wouldn't've been proud.

"Snake what ?"

"A, ahem, a snake furrow. It's a little trail from when they slither around. Looks like it goes up toward the cliff."

"I wanna find it !" Danny called as he splashed out of the shallows.

"Be careful, it could be deadly."

An unwelcome voice chimed in from behind his shoulder. "You'd know all about that, wouldn't you, love ? Takes one to know one and all that."

"Same goes for being a hypocrite. You never told Roper that you killed my dad, did you ? He would've recognized you when I told him about it."

"Why would I ? I'm trying to forget and Roper doesn't care."

He couldn't help taking a sarcastic tone as he turned. "Yeah, 'cause drinking yourself numb is a good way to do it. I managed to stop and he was my damned dad, so why haven't you ?"

Corkoran grit his teeth but didn't quite manage a scathing look. "Maybe it's 'cause he was the only one of them that didn't treat me like crap. I was an actual person to him, unlike Harris. Maybe it's because the day before he couldn't stop talking about how he'd finally get to watch one of your rugby matches."

"His name was Jack, the least you could do is remember that. Bleeding Packard." With a glare at Corkoran he went to see if Danny wanted help.

A drink would've been nice right about then. Really nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may come up with more eventually but this is all for now.


End file.
